It’s that time again! 2013 was yet another incredible year for iOS gamers, with amazing titles from all genres hitting the App Store. Whether you’re into RPGs, puzzle games, strategy games, or even full console ports, the App Store had you covered.

One thing that’s remarkable is how many of 2013’s best games came out in the second half of the year. Check out our list of the best games of the first half of 2013 for even more great titles. And of course let us know what your favorite games of the year were in the comments below.

25. Magic 2014

From our review: A massive selection of cards, robust multiplayer, and a wealth of options are only a few of the reasons you’ll be able to cite as justifications for the $10 pay wall. Magic 2014 is an excellent choice for newcomers and veterans alike, especially if the TCG scene strikes your fancy.

24. Bloodmasque

From our review: What really stuck with me was the intriguing gameplay, the blood bond system, and the cool story. To top it off, the graphics are usually stunning and the voice acting, when it’s present, is surprisingly good. Sure, the simple tap-based battle system can get annoying and the slow pace of gaining gold and blood rubies is obnoxious, but all of the other positive aspects that surround those negatives make Bloodmasque so much fun to play that I ran down the battery life of my iPad on more than one occasion. Bloodmasque is just a heck of a lot of fun to play.

23. Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes

From our review: If you already own an HD copy of Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, the precise physical controls might serve you better. But if you don’t own the game in any capacity, or you want an HD version of the game that you can play on the go, make sure you enlist today.

22. Robot Unicorn Attack 2

From our review: Beyond all that, the graphics are mesmerizingly gorgeous, with all kinds of wild, trippy stuff happening in the background, like giant whales and seahorses with laser horns strapped to their heads floating by. It all adds up to a truly brilliant game that’s incredibly fun even if you don’t want to pay a cent.

21. Asphalt 8: Airborne

From our review: If you’re a arcade racing fan then there’s absolutely no reason for you to not be playing this. The in-app purchases are only annoying if you’re impatient, and every aspect in the game (even the redundant ones) are a step up. This is one you’ll be playing again and again for at least another year.

20. Pixel People

From our review: Yes, the game mostly amounts to a whole lot of tapping on the screen. But splicing together new jobs and creating a beautiful city is a whole lot of fun. Even if you’re not normally interested in freemium games, we think you should give Pixel People a shot.

19. Fetch

From our review: It took us 90 minutes to play through Fetch entirely (without collecting every hidden dog collar or secret achievement), but like a good movie, we think the experience will make a lasting impression. Despite its brevity, Fetch is an incredibly moving piece of interactive entertainment. It’s currently on display at Seattle’s MOHAI as an example of art in gaming, and by publishing it on the App Store, Big Fish Games is doing their part to bring art to the masses.

18. Badland

From our review: Great graphics are always appreciated, but Badland’s unique power-up system and how it interacts with each stage is what makes the title shine (dark though it may be). You can expect to bash your way through road blocks, tumble along arcs that take you within a hair of a swirling sea of blades, and command armies of fuzzy black things. The game is also generous with checkpoints, so frustration rarely keeps you from playing level after level. Unfortunately, there are only 40 stages to get through, so you won’t be occupied for too long, but Frogmind promises that more stages are on the way. After all, saving an entire ecosystem shouldn’t be a job you can blaze through in just one night.

17. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

From our review: Squeezing in the full experience of this legendary 30+ hour RPG gives me confidence that anything is possible with the horsepower underneath the hood of today’s mobile devices. KOTOR is a landmark accomplishment for the iPad and the iOS platform; I do not hesitate to award it our highest honor as a quintessential Must-Have experience.

16. Dungelot

From our review: It may be easy to play, but the monsters, hero powers, spells, and loot all interact in ways that give you interesting choices to make. Anyone can tap their way through a few levels, but you’ll need strategy and luck to keep going after that. Dagnabbit! Looks like Dungenot is just as good as dungeon crawling was in the good old days. But at least I can still tell you all to turn down that music and get off my lawn!

15. Icycle: On Thin Ice

From our review: Icycle is unlike anything I’ve experienced in a long time. I could go on and on about the game, but the bottom line is that if you’re looking for a stand-out mobile game which will defy your expectations at every turn, then Icycle is the game for you.

14. Deus Ex: The Fall

From our review: Deus Ex: The Fall is an impressive title that retains the style and mechanics of the original game, while making some necessary technical omissions. It’s an ambitious game that succeeds in offering a dynamic stealth action, deep character customization, and multiple ways to complete missions. Deus Ex: The Fall is a must play for any iOS gamer.

13. Call of Duty: Strike Team

12. Layton Brothers Mystery Room

From our review: Layton Brothers Mystery Room is an easy recommendation. If the gameplay is too shallow for your liking, you don’t need to pay for the rest of the adventure. If you find yourself hooked, then by all means keep playing in the Yard. You won’t regret it.

11. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

From our review: Whether you’re playing it again out of nostalgia, or if this is your first visit, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a massively enjoyable crime spree in a compact package. Maybe less than a decade from now, we’ll be playing Grand Theft Auto V as a visual overlay on our wearable computers, committing realistic-looking virtual crimes while we shop at the grocery store.

10. Device 6

From our review: Device 6 is a terrific, stylish mix between a puzzle game and mystery story. To explain more would do it a disservice. I enjoyed the story/game a lot, and can easily recommend it to anyone interested in diving into a moody mystery.

9. Ridiculous Fishing

From our review: Ridiculous Fishing is so much more than just a simple iOS game. It’s meticulously designed to make every one of its many parts cohere. It’s easy to learn, hard to master, and it unfolds gradually, revealing more and more depth the further you progress. There’s something special about this game, and we can’t recommend it enough.

8. The Shadow Sun

From our review: So the original question remains: Is Shadow Sun a game that’s worth playing? For my money, the answer is a resounding yes. While I wish that the graphics and controls were better, The Shadow Sun is one of the most captivating experiences I’ve had with a role-playing game in quite some time. The story, characters, and the world around you are all so vibrant and alive that you can’t help but want more.

7. XCOM: Enemy Unknown

From our review: Compressing a game of this size to run so well on iOS required some careful omissions from the original. The textures and animations are downscaled but are still better looking than most iOS games. The one glaring omission is the armor customization, which takes away some of the fun of personalizing your troops. The game does crash at times when things get hectic, but not frequently enough to be a major concern. There’s a lot of game here for your money, even at the $19.99 price tag. The PC version is still selling around $40 and is worth it even at that price.

6. Republique

From our review: Republique shines. It’s an exciting new game, with an intriguing story and good acting. The whole package seems well worth the price they’re asking. In short, the next episode can’t come soon enough.

5. Rayman Fiesta Run

From our review: Rayman Fiesta Run is the ideal combination of high-quality production values and thoughtful game design, with a range of challenges that scale along with the player’s skills. It’s a high-energy party, well worth the price of admission, and one we’ll be enjoying and talking about for a long time.

4. Oceanhorn

From our review: With its gorgeous graphics, simple touch controls, unique storyline, and expansive feeling of freedom, Oceanhorn is a real gem on the App Store. So many details of the gameplay mechanics, from leveling up by defeating enemies and collecting gems, to firing pumpkin seeds at floating barrels on the open sea, feel like they were carefully thought out by the developers. If you’ve been searching for a Zelda-like adventure on iOS, Oceanhorn is the hero that rises to the occasion.

3. Kingdom Rush Frontiers

From our review: It’s kind of ironic that a game that was designed to help break the mold of the dusty tower-defense genre doesn’t do much to break the mold of its own gameplay, but there’s honestly no real reason to. Kingdom Rush Frontiers offers up enough new elements that it doesn’t seem like a retread, and it will quickly become one of those games that will have you grinding down the battery life on your device.

2. The Room Two

From our review: Based on how polished and confident the original was, it’s no surprise that that The Room Two is another brilliantly designed puzzler. It’s bigger, smarter, and more challenging than its predecessor. It’s another Must Have for any gamer with an iPad.

1. Plants Vs. Zombies 2

From our review: PopCap has created a fine sequel and an impressive model for free games to follow. They certainly haven’t reinvented the wheel here, but there’s plenty of levels included (and more on the way), tons of plants and enemies, and loads of fun to be had. Better yet, it’s likely that only impatient gamers will feel much need to spend real money.

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Latest Recommended Games

The fine folks at Milkbag games have released Sidewords. A fun little diversion of a word game that is the devil child of crosswords and scrabble. For each level in the game the grid must be completed to win the level — this means that each letter at the top and side must be used. And not just the top or side, but each word must be made up of letters from the top and side to create a grid. It’s a pain, but in the right kind of way. Even the simplest of the levels can be a head scratcher until you get used to the game. Well worth the $3 as a diversion while we wait for Milkbag to finally release Snow Siege.

We’d like to thank our sponsor for this week, Zap Zap Kindergarten Math.

It’s not always easy to tear your kids away from their tablets and make them do something edifying. Thankfully, Zap Zap Kindergarten Math relieves you of this task by turning mathematics into a fun touchscreen video game. Win win!

Aimed at children 3-6 years old, the app makes math fun by ‘gamifying’ it, turning simple mathematics problems into little challenges so that your pre-schooler can learn and play at the same time.

There are more than two dozen mini-games, split across three categories: Numbers, Shapes and Measurements, and Add and Subtract. According to the developer the difficulty of these puzzles is adaptive too, so kids of any ability can be both encouraged and challenged.

Mini Dayz has launched and it’s a pixelated 2.5D open world that’s as brutal as the desktop version. In this game, the player is dumped on shore with nothing. They must scavenge around for food, water, and weapons while avoiding attack. It’s the kind of game where the goal is to stay alive as long as possible. But that will never be very long. It’s oddly free and seems to only have an ad on the main screen — for now.

Pewter Games has brought their charming point and click adventure The Little Acre to iOS. It’s an amazingly beautiful animated adventure set in a sort of hybrid magical / alien world. A great all ages adventure and very fun.

We’d like to thank our sponsor for this week, The House of Da Vinci by Blue Brain Games. There’s a reason Leonardo Da Vinci is the only renaissance figure who routinely shows up in video games you know. With his remarkable inventiveness and genius for creative problem-solving, Da Vinci was a gamer through and through. He was just born 500 hundred years too soon. Thankfully, there are studios like Blue Brain Games to bring him to life in videogame form. The House of Da Vinci, which comes to us courtesy of a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, is a puzzler that seeks to channel the artistry and innovation of its title character.

You play as one of Da Vinci’s more promising apprentices, and you have the challenging task of trying to work out where the hell he’s gone. Was he assassinated by the church? Who knows. Has he quietly gone into a retirement? Perhaps. Did he accidentally invent a shrink ray and shrink himself down to the size of an dustmite? Probably not. Da Vinci’s workshop looks beautiful, thanks to some impressive 3D graphics, and the in-game environment is crammed with all the elaborate machines and crazy inventions you’d expect to find in the workplace of a renaissance genius.(more…)

Poly Bridge is out now on iOS, and it’s good to have it! It’s a great game and many seem to agree that it’s the best bridge builder game available. But the iOS versions, so far, is missing the sandbox mode. I would hope that it’s coming soon in an update. If you are all interested in physics puzzlers, grab this one. (Note: the video is for the PC version, I have yet to see a trailer for the mobile version, the developer Dry Cactus isn’t that great at marketing…)

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